Trick or Tweet: 7 Ways to a High-Tech Halloween

Oct. 22, 2009— -- In just about a week, the streets will be flooded with Halloween revelers dressed as witches, ghosts, vampires, celebrities and maybe even a Wall Street schemer or two.

But the Halloween spirit has already taken hold of the technosphere, where iPhone and Facebook applications, Twitter promotions and more abound.

From Web sites that let you try on masks virtually, to iPhone applications that help you dress for the devilish occasion, here are seven of the best ways to a high-tech Halloween.

Can't decide what to be for Halloween? Tired of relying on your standby ghost or witch costumes? A couple of new iPhone apps could help you out.

The Halloween Costume Generator, launched by Synthetic Bits LLC in September and available in Apple's App Store for $1.99, gives you more than 200 options to choose from.

Once you enter your gender, the kind of party you plan to attend (from a work function to a kids party to bar hopping) and your mood, the app gives you a list of original suggestions, as well as directions on how to make the costumes.

The suggestions run the gamut from TV, movie and sports figures, like the Golden Girls or Michael Phelps, to off-the-beaten-path options, like a Drunk Santa or a Not-So-Incredible Hulk.

"Every Halloween, I get two or three days out and I don't have a costume," said Seattle-based Chis Kerns, who created the application with his brother. "It turns into a stressful thing. We figured we would turn that on its head and make it fun."

Costume Ideas -- Halloween, from the developers at More Blu Sky in Glen Mills, Pa., also helps users pick a Halloween costume.

For 99 cents, the application provides more than 2,000 costume ideas, as well as stores that might supply the costumes.

Users indicate their age, gender and whether they are dressing up alone or as part of a couple. Once they shake the phone, it generates a list of possibilities, from Buddy in the movie "Elf" to Stevie from "Family Guy," and more.